Hey Scott,

C in Tennessee

Dear C,

I?m not known for being succinct, nor brief. And on such an issue as this, I want to be as clear as possible. I believe that the answers behind this question can touch on many other areas of biblical interpretation and application, so I write in hopes that my answer will give you the fuel to deal with other similar questions in the future through the same framework.

Let me say also, that it is an honor for me to be asked by you to address this question. And I appreciate the fact that you feel that you can bring a question like this to me. I only hope that I am up to supplying an answer that will satisfy your ?thinkings.?

Let?s start with terminology.

The term “Sabbath” is derived from the Hebrew verb “to rest or cease from work.” The ?rest? idea is explicit in the command and is even given further application in Deut. 5:14 commanding that even servants and animals cease from laboring on the Sabbath ?that they may rest as you do.? Many claim that Sabbath means ?seventh? in an attempt to bind all the contents of the command to the seventh day. That is a complete falsehood. ?Rest? is the meaning of the word. It is true, however, that in the original command given to the Jews through Moses, that God did intend for the holy day to be observed on the last day of a seven day week. We?ll discuss this in more detail later in this discussion.

Now, if we are to interpret and apply the fourth commandment rightly, we must consider several things. First of all, to whom the command was given and the context in which it was given. Secondly, on which side of the resurrection it was given. And thirdly, any implications and applications regarding the Sabbath by the apostles of the New Testament.

First, the command to observe the Sabbath on the seventh day of each week was given to the Jews along with, not nine, but 612, other laws in the Law of Moses. We make a big deal of ?the Ten Commandments? as if they were the only commands ever given in the Old Testament. Here?s the scoop: there were 613 laws given by God through Moses and the original Ten, which are only part of the whole Law, were given to ?hold them over? until the Law of Moses was completely given to Israel as seen primarily in Deuteronomy and Leviticus.

You mentioned the word ?remember.? That word simply means ?to observe? and could equally apply to all the Law that was given through Moses. Just like God told the people to remember the Sabbath Day, He also told them not to forget the whole Law of Moses, all 613. In Deut. 8:11, after finishing the delivery of the six hundred and thirteen commandments of the Law, He said, ?Be careful that you DO NOT FORGET the LORD your God, [by] failing to observe his commands, his laws and his decrees that I am giving you this day.? If ?remember? in the fourth commandment means to never stop observing it on the seventh day, then ?do not forget? in Deut. 8:11 means we ought to be observing all 613 laws (including sacrificing animals and not eating pork Bar-b-que) to this day! But we don?t! And we don?t have to! Praise the Lord, because Jesus fulfilled the whole law in his life and in his sacrificial, substitutional, atoning death!

Now, in order to lay further groundwork for proper understanding, let?s discuss the background of an Early Church problem that was faced over these kinds of issues, where eventually the Sabbath comes into New Testament discussion. Follow me here? You and I may understand that truth (that in Jesus we are no longer under law). Gentiles usually have no problem grasping that one. But in the Early Church there were JEWS hearing the Gospel for the first time after being raised under the Law of Moses. Most Jews rejected the Gospel because they were so tied to the Law. They just couldn?t accept grace. But some thought they were accepting the Gospel when they really were not, because though they claimed to trust in Christ for salvation, in their hearts they still trusted their own obedience to the Law. They were called ?Judaizers.? They believed that in order to become a Christian, one had to first become a Jew. How? They thought circumcision did the trick.

This was such a problem, Paul confronted it among almost every Gentile church he wrote to, reminding them that salvation is by grace through faith in Christ ALONE, apart from any works of the law. Consider these statements: Gal. 6:15 ?Neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything; what counts is a new creation.? And Col. 2:11-12 ?In him you were also circumcised, in the putting off of the sinful nature, not with a circumcision done by the hands of men but with the circumcision done by Christ, having been buried with him in baptism and raised with him through your faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead.? As a matter of fact THE ENTIRE BOOK OF GALATIANS was written to address the confusion that had arisen in a Gentile church because of bunch of legalistic teachers, Judaizers, had come in trying to tie God?s freed people to Old Testament Jewish law. If it wasn?t so serious, it would be laughable, because remember this: these Galatian believers were Gentiles, just like you and me. THE LAWS OF MOSES WERE NEVER EVEN GIVEN TO THEM! NOT THE BIG TEN? NOT THE OTHER 603! They only had the moral law written on their hearts and they had met Jesus fresh, apart from Judaism, and found grace and forgiveness for their sins. Paul is reminding them that this Law the Judaizers speak of is IRRELEVANT to those in Christ Jesus! It?s been rendered NON-APPLICABLE for them.

Now, here?s the key question for us New Testament believers who are under the New Covenant as it pertains to the Sabbath and other such issues: ?Is ALL the Law of Moses non-applicable in Christ??

The answer to that question comes through an understanding of the Law. Every command, all 613, fell into two categories: MORAL and CEREMONIAL.

A moral law would be, for instance, “Cursed is the man who sleeps with his sister, the daughter of his father or the daughter of his mother.” Deut. 27:22. A ceremonial law would be one like Lev. 13:45-46 “The person with such an infectious [skin] disease must wear torn clothes, let his hair be unkempt, cover the lower part of his face and cry out, `Unclean! Unclean!’ As long as he has the infection he remains unclean. He must live alone??

Most of the 613 Old Testament laws were ceremonial in nature. Just check out nearly any verse in Leviticus and we know that. The ceremonial laws are what were done away with. The moral laws are still intact; they are even written on man?s heart. Any person with a skin infection is not required today by any law, moral or otherwise, to go around chanting ?unclean!? nor is a person with a skin infection required to cover his face, or live alone or otherwise. He?s not an immoral person if he chooses not to follow those regulations. However, today it?s still morally wrong if a man commits incest. It?s immoral, period, and always will be. When Paul said, ?you are not under law, but under grace? in Romans 6:14 did he mean that we don?t have to honor ?thou shalt not commit adultery?? No way! Fidelity is a moral law and it?s is still intact. He meant that as believers we are not required to keep any CEREMONIAL rule, regulation, decree or command in the Law of Moses. Why? Because in the Lamb of God, all has been ?finished? and atoned for ceremonially. In Matt 5:18 Jesus said, ?not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished.? Well, the good news is the everything was accomplished in the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus. In verse 17 of Matt. 5, He was clear: “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to FULFILL them.? And that?s what He did! Jesus fulfilled all of the moral AND all of the ceremonial aspects of the Law. There?s no way to be ?unclean? in Christ. There?s no way to be unacceptable to God in Christ. Here?s the CLINCHER? as a matter of fact, every ?smallest letter? and ?stroke of a pen? (?jot and tittle?) in the Law were FORESHADOWS of Jesus himself! John 1:45 ?Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the one Moses WROTE ABOUT IN THE LAW, and about whom the prophets also wrote–Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”? More on this later.

So, when determining if an Old Testament law applies to us as a New Testament Christian, we must ask, is it moral or ceremonial in nature? Any aspect of the Law that is ceremonial in nature does not apply since the resurrection of Jesus. That?s why Paul can make a statement as in 1 Cor. 7:19: ?Circumcision is nothing and uncircumcision is nothing. Keeping God’s commands is what counts.? But wasn?t one of God?s commands circumcision? Yes, but that was a ceremonial, pre-cross, pre-resurrection command! Moral laws, however, by the nature of what morality is, do not change. We now keep the moral law, ?the law of Christ,? as we are led by the Spirit of Christ (Romans eight).

WHAT I JUST EXPLAINED IS VERY IMPORTANT as it will give much light on this issue.

The Sabbath day command when given in Exodus 20 is interesting because it contained both moral AND ceremonial elements. It was MORAL in that it commanded a day of rest and reflection that is necessary for proper stewardship of one?s body and spirit and for one?s servants and animals as well, that they too might be blessed by it (Truett Cathay of Chik-fil-A is on the money with this). It was CEREMONIAL in it?s binding to the seventh day of the week.

Christ?s death and resurrection canceled the requirement of the ceremonial aspect, while the moral aspect remained eternal as it always has and will (as moral law by nature never changes). We see this explained and exemplified in Early Church teaching and practice.

EARLY CHURCH PRACTICE AND TEACHING
Luke writes in Acts 20:7 that ? On the first day of the week we came together to break bread? (symbolizing Lord?s Supper, worship and fellowship). The New Testament believers began to meet on the day that Christ arose because they understood that his resurrection was the culmination of all the that Law and the Prophets foreshadowed in Christ. Many of those believers were GENTILES and NEVER HAD observed a Saturday Sabbath and didn?t start! There was no need to! Christ?s fulfillment of the Law broke the binding of the Sabbath to a particular day. The first church chose then to worship together on the first day of the week, resurrection day. Interestingly (though rarely pointed out), this too had been foreshadowed in Old Testament Law, namely in the wave offering and the grain offerings. Check out Leviticus 23:15-16: ” `From THE DAY AFTER the Sabbath, the day you brought the sheaf of the wave offering, count off seven full weeks. Count off fifty days up to THE DAY AFTER the seventh Sabbath, and then present an offering of new grain to the LORD.? Verse 7 of the same chapter says, ?On the FIRST DAY hold a sacred assembly and do no regular work.? THESE WERE THE VERY FEASTS THAT POINTED FORWARD TO THE VERY SAME EVENTS THAT CHRISTIANS NOW CELEBRATE ON SUNDAY!

Further New Testament examples:
1 Cor. 16:2 ?On the first day of every week, each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with his income, saving it up, so that when I come no collections will have to be made.? The reason Paul suggested that their offerings should be set aside on the first day of the week was because that was the day it was most convenient, SINCE THEY WERE MEETING TOGETHER FOR WORSHIP ANYWAY. It is significant that the early church father, Justin Martyr (second century A.D.) testified that contributions to the church were received on that day (Apology I, 67.6).

Matthew Mark and Luke in their Gospels all emphasize the fact that the Lord?s resurrection occurred early the morning of the first day of the week. It was very significant.

The Apostle John wrote in Revelation 1, verse 10: ?On the Lord’s Day I was in the Spirit, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet?? ?The Lord?s Day? is the Greek phrase kyriake hemera. One writer notes that ?most commentators, both ancient and modern, have, however, taken the expression to mean Sunday, the first day of the week? This usage occurs early in the apostolic fathers (Didache 14; Ignatius To the Magnesians 9).? For me, Calvin, ancient commentators and the usage of the Early Church writers within the early centuries are significant in that they had much more plentiful and accurate Church history at their disposal whenever they wrote on any given subject.

Overwhelmingly, history and the Scriptures let us know that seventh-day Sabbath observances were no longer a part of the lives of New Testament believers. To say the Apostles kept the Sabbath on Saturday is erroneous. If they ever did anything on the Sabbath that seemed Jewish, it was go to Synagogue, and the only reason they went was to preach Christ and the Gospel to the Jews in order to liberate them from the Law they thought they had to observe!

NOW FINALLY COMES THE CROWNING NEW TESTAMENT PASSAGE ON THIS ISSUE. In light of all I have related thus far, study with me the following Scripture Paul wrote to the Gentile, infant-in-their-faith, Colossian believers, who, like some other Gentile churches, were beginning to come under judgment by Judaizers. It may be the most pertinent and powerful passage in our discussion.

COL 2:13 When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, 14 having canceled the written code, with its regulations [that is, the Law of Moses with all it?s ceremonial bindings], that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross. 15 And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.

COL 2:16 Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day. 17 These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ.

Calvin, the times and seasons observances required of the Jews under the Law were shadows of the coming Christ. The written code with its regulations has been taken away and nailed by Jesus to the cross.

About your other points: Regarding Adam and Eve?s Sabbath-keeping, I?ve seen no evidence that Adam and Eve observed a seventh-day Sabbath, but even if they did, their example is irrelevant in light of Jesus. Regarding Jesus keeping the Sabbath in his death, Jesus did not intentionally keep the Sabbath on Calvary; the prophesy was simply fulfilled regarding the time of his death, a prophecy given in the context of the Law of Moses. If one wants to be technical, Jesus was working on the seventh day? he was ravaging Hell acquiring the keys to Death, Hell and the Grave!

Regarding Isa. 66:23-24 ?From one New Moon to another and from one Sabbath to another, all mankind will come and bow down before me,” says the LORD.? Those terms, New Moon and Sabbath, are simply used to mark time. It would be like me saying, ?from January to January, I must winterize my pipes.? The New Moon and the Sabbath were familiar time-markers to the Old Testament Jewish mind. He was simply saying that from ?month to month? and ?week to week? they will come and bow before the Lord. To interpret this verse as teaching an eternal seventh-day Sabbath observance is stretching it at best.

Well, that concludes my comments. I trust that my answer will shed some kind of light on the question. Your desire to be pleasing the Lord in everything as an obedient child. God will honor that. Ironically, in our zeal to be pleasing to the Lord, we can become vulnerable to modern-day ?Judaizers? who preach things like salvation-by-baptism, and Sunday-is-the-mark-of-the-beast kind of stuff. We just simply don?t want to miss ANYTHING that pleases the Lord! The key is solid, broad-based understanding of Theology, an asset that has evaded the average believer over the last hundred years. I trust that somehow this discussion has clarified some things and deepened you in your own walk with Jesus.

If anything is unclear or raises more questions, please don?t hesitate to write again. We love you and your family and pray God?s richest and best for you.

In Christ,
Scott Smith

This entry was posted on Tuesday, July 26th, 2005 at 5:04 am and is filed under Scott Topics posts. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.